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Rep. Xavier Becerra expects immigration bills soon

Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.) — a key negotiator on immigration reform on Capitol Hill — said Wednesday that he wouldn’t be surprised if bipartisan groups in Congress roll out legislation for comprehensive reform “within the next few weeks.”

Becerra, a member of the House group working on immigration reform, said that the “climate was right, both for Democrats and Republicans” for a comprehensive overhaul of the nation’s immigration laws.

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McCaul on immigration debate

“My sense is that both the House and the Senate are hoping to keep pace with the president who has essentially said, ‘I’m ready to go,’” Becerra said at POLITICO’s post-State of the Union address event.

Meanwhile, Rep. Mike McCaul (R-Texas), who chairs the powerful House Homeland Security Committee, sounded a less optimistic note, saying he’s “hopeful” Congress can get something done on immigration this year but conceded that it was a “tricky” issue.

“We can’t really have a serious debate about reform on immigration if we don’t have operational control of the border,” said McCaul, who is set to roll out his framework for border security later on Capitol Hill.

Immigration reform has become one of the dominant issues facing Capitol Hill this year, with bipartisan coalitions in both chambers hammering out the contours of a deal and the political climate the most receptive to reform in years.

President Barack Obama plans to meet with four Democratic negotiators this week and has publicly praised the so-called Gang of Eight senators working on an immigration agreement but made it clear in his address that he wants Congress to pass comprehensive reform in the following few months.

“Leaders from the business, labor, law enforcement, faith communities — they all agree that the time has come to pass comprehensive immigration reform,” Obama said. “Now is the time to do it. Now is the time to get it done.”

Obama spoke generally about his priorities for a comprehensive immigration bill: one that emphasizes border security but gives the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants a “responsible” pathway to citizenship.

The nation’s immigration system should also be set up in a way to become more efficient and attract the world’s smartest and most talented workers to the United States, Obama said.

Meanwhile, another major issue for McCaul and his committee — an area that Obama also mentioned in his speech — is cybersecurity. Obama released an executive order on cybersecurity in his address.

“With the executive order out there, with the urgency of the threat, I think it’s very likely that we’ll get something passed, later this year,” McCaul said.